Low back configuration changes following osteopathic therapy: A pilot study

The effects of one session of manipulation by an osteopath on lumbo-sacral configuration were examined in ten out-patients with low back pain. Each patient was measured three times, twice before and once immediately after treatment. In each measurement session the patient executed six forward or six lateral flexions whilst continuous primary, and associated secondary, rotations were recorded using a Coda Scanner. The effects of the treatment were also assessed subjectively by the osteopath and by the patients. Significant treatment effects, not necessarily improvements, were observed in the secondary asymmetry angles of five patients. All four patients judged by the osteopath to have responded to his treatment were found included within these five. Patient evaluations of the effectiveness of treatment in improving movement were not closely related either to the judgements of the osteopath or to the measurements of change. Relevance This study seeks to establish the feasibility of measuring and evaluating the changes arising from the effects of osteopathic manipulation with a view to establishing future collaborative studies to determine the effects of manipulation.